Discovering resources of a distributed computing environment

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for discovering resources of a distributed computing environment are provided. Embodiments include a management system transmitting an application program interface (API) message to the distributed computing environment. Embodiments also include the management system receiving from the distributed computing environment, a response to the API message and based on the response, identifying a resource of the distributed computing environment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of and claims priorityfrom U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/148,990, filed on Jan. 7, 2014.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically,methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for discoveringresources of a distributed computing environment.

Description of Related Art

The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited asthe beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systemshave evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers aremuch more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. Computersystems typically include a combination of hardware and softwarecomponents, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses,memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductorprocessing and computer architecture push the performance of thecomputer higher and higher, more sophisticated computer software hasevolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware,resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful thanjust a few years ago.

Modern computing systems can include a plurality of machines that shareresources with each other. In a distributed computing environment, thereare thousands of resources that can be entrusted in a distributedcomputing environment and accessed as a service. These resources are ofvarious types and often belong to various environments of differenttypes and reside on the hardware of the environment.

SUMMARY

Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for discoveringresources of a distributed computing environment are provided.Embodiments includes a management system transmitting an applicationprogram interface (API) message to the distributed computingenvironment. Embodiments also include the management system receivingfrom the distributed computing environment, a response to the APImessage and based on the response, identifying a resource of thedistributed computing environment.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescriptions of exemplary embodiments of the invention as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generallyrepresent like parts of exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a cloud computing environment according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 sets forth a block diagram of automated computing machinerycomprising an example computer useful in discovering resources in adistributed computing environment according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an example method fordiscovering resources in a distributed computing environment accordingto embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an additional example methodfor discovering resources in a distributed computing environmentaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 sets forth a flow chart illustrating an additional example methodfor discovering resources in a distributed computing environmentaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Example methods, apparatuses, and computer program products fordiscovering resources in a distributed computing environment inaccordance with the present invention are described with reference tothe accompanying drawings, beginning with FIG. 1. It is understood inadvance that although this disclosure includes a detailed description oncloud computing, implementation of the teachings recited herein are notlimited to a cloud computing environment. Rather, embodiments of thepresent invention are capable of being implemented in conjunction withany other type of computing environment now known or later developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (‘SaaS’): the capability provided to the consumeris to use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). Theconsumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructureincluding network, servers, operating systems, storage, or evenindividual application capabilities, with the possible exception oflimited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (‘Paas’): the capability provided to the consumeris to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (‘IaaS’): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node (10) is only one example of asuitable cloud computing node and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of embodiments of theinvention described herein. Regardless, cloud computing node (10) iscapable of being implemented and/or performing any of the functionalityset forth hereinabove.

In cloud computing node (10) there is a computer system/server (12),which is operational with numerous other general purpose or specialpurpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples ofwell-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations thatmay be suitable for use with computer system/server (12) include, butare not limited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems,thin clients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server (12) may be described in the general context ofcomputer system executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server (12) may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server (12) in cloud computing node(10) is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server (12) may include, but are notlimited to, one or more processors or processing units (16), a systemmemory (28), and a bus (18) that couples various system componentsincluding system memory (28) to processor (16).

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA′) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA′) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA′) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA′) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (‘PCI’) bus.

Computer system/server (12) typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server (12), and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory (28) can include computer system readable media in theform of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM′) (30) and/orcache memory (32). Computer system/server (12) may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system (34) can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus (18) by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory (28) may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility (40), having a set (at least one) of program modules(42), may be stored in memory (28) by way of example, and notlimitation, as well as an operating system, one or more applicationprograms, other program modules, and program data. Each of the operatingsystem, one or more application programs, other program modules, andprogram data or some combination thereof, may include an implementationof a networking environment. Program modules (42) generally carry outthe functions and/or methodologies of embodiments of the invention asdescribed herein.

Computer system/server (12) may also communicate with one or moreexternal devices (14) such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display(24), etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to interact withcomputer system/server (12); and/or any devices (e.g., network card,modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server (12) to communicate withone or more other computing devices. Such communication can occur viaInput/Output (‘I/O’) interfaces (22). Still yet, computer system/server(12) can communicate with one or more networks such as a local areanetwork (IAN), a general wide area network (‘WAN’), and/or a publicnetwork (e.g., the Internet) via network adapter (20). As depicted,network adapter (20) communicates with the other components of computersystem/server (12) via bus (18). It should be understood that althoughnot shown, other hardware and/or software components could be used inconjunction with computer system/server (12). Examples, include, but arenot limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units,external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archivalstorage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing environment (50)is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment (50) comprises one ormore cloud computing nodes (10) with which local computing devices usedby cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant(‘PDA’) or cellular telephone (54A), desktop computer (54B), laptopcomputer (54C), and/or automobile computer system (54N) may communicate.The cloud computing nodes (10) may communicate with one another. Theymay be grouped (not shown) physically or virtually, in one or morenetworks, such as Private, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds asdescribed hereinabove, or a combination thereof. This allows cloudcomputing environment (50) to offer infrastructure, platforms and/orsoftware as services for which a cloud consumer does not need tomaintain resources on a local computing device. It is understood thatthe types of computing devices (54A-N) shown in FIG. 2 are intended tobe illustrative only and that computing nodes (10) and cloud computingenvironment (50) can communicate with any type of computerized deviceover any type of network and/or network addressable connection (e.g.,using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment (element 50 in FIG. 2) is shown. Itshould be understood in advance that the components, layers, andfunctions shown in FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only andembodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, thefollowing layers and corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer (60) includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes (60A), inone example IBM® zSeries® systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction SetComputer) architecture based servers (60B), in one example IBM pSeries®systems; IBM xSeries® systems; IBM BladeCenter® systems; storage devices(60C); networks and networking components (60D). Examples of softwarecomponents include network application server software (60E), in oneexample IBM WebSphere® application server software; and databasesoftware (60F), in one example IBM DB2® database software. (IBM,zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter, WebSphere, and DB2 aretrademarks of International Business Machines Corporation registered inmany jurisdictions worldwide).

Virtualization layer (62) provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers(62A); virtual storage (62B); virtual networks (62C), including virtualprivate networks; virtual applications (62D) and operating systems; andvirtual clients (62E).

In one example, management layer (64) may provide the functionsdescribed below. Resource provisioning (64A) provides dynamicprocurement of computing resources and other resources that are utilizedto perform tasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering andPricing (64B) provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within thecloud computing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption ofthese resources. In one example, these resources may compriseapplication software licenses. Security provides identity verificationfor cloud consumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and otherresources. User portal (64C) provides access to the cloud computingenvironment for consumers and system administrators. Service levelmanagement (64D) provides cloud computing resource allocation andmanagement such that required service levels are met. Service LevelAgreement (SLA) planning and fulfillment (64E) provides pre-arrangementfor, and procurement of, cloud computing resources for which a futurerequirement is anticipated in accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer (66) provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation (66A); software development and lifecycle management (66B);virtual classroom education delivery (66C); data analytics processing(66D); and transaction processing (66E).

For further explanation, FIG. 4 sets forth a block diagram of automatedcomputing machinery comprising an example computer useful in discoveringresources in a distributed computing environment according toembodiments of the present invention. The computer (452) of FIG. 4includes at least one computer processor (456) or ‘CPU’ as well asrandom access memory (468) (RAM′) which is connected through a highspeed memory bus (466) and bus adapter (458) to processor (456) and toother components of the computer (452).

Stored in RAM (468) is a management system (499), a module of computerprogram instructions that, when executed causes the computer (452) ofFIG. 4 to manage resources of a distributed computing environment. Inthe example of FIG. 4, a distributed computing environment (not shown)is created on components of other computers (482). The management systemmay also be configured to administer provisioning of virtual machines,cloud resources, memory, and the like; track customer or user usage ofcloud resources; provide a systems management interface forconfiguration of virtual machine environments; and so on.

Examples of such resources include virtual machines (431), clusters(432) of hardware devices or virtualized hardware, host operatingsystems (433), applications (434), threads or processes (435),processing allocations (436), storage allocations (436), memoryallocations (438), and so on as will occur to readers of skill in theart. In the example of FIG. 4, several resources (430) may be executed,instantiated, hosted, virtualized, or implemented by other computers(482) coupled via a data communications network (400) to the computer(452). Also, users (not shown here) may be coupled via one or more datacommunications network (400) to utilize the resources (430).

In the example of FIG. 4, the management system (499) may discoveringresources of a distributed computing environment in accordance withembodiments of the present invention by transmitting an applicationprogram interface (API) message to the distributed computingenvironment. The management system is also configured to receive fromthe distributed computing environment, a response to the API message andbased on the response, identify a resource of the distributed computingenvironment.

Also stored RAM (468) of the computer (452) is an operating system(454). Operating systems useful for discovering resources in adistributed computing environment according to embodiments of thepresent invention include UNIX™, Linux™, Microsoft XP™, AIX™, IBM'si5/OS™, and others as will occur to those of skill in the art. Theoperating systems (454) and the management system (499) in the exampleof FIG. 4 are shown in RAM (468), but many components of such softwaretypically are stored in non-volatile memory also, such as, for example,on a disk drive (470).

The computer (452) of FIG. 4 includes disk drive adapter (472) coupledthrough expansion bus (460) and bus adapter (458) to the processors(456) and other components of the computer (452). Disk drive adapter(472) connects non-volatile data storage to the computer (452) in theform of the disk drive (470). Disk drive adapters useful in computersfor discovering resources of a distributed computing environmentaccording to embodiments of the present invention include IntegratedDrive Electronics (‘IDE’) adapters, Small Computer System Interface(‘SCSI’) adapters, and others as will occur to those of skill in theart. Non-volatile computer memory also may be implemented for as anoptical disk drive, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory(so-called ‘EEPROM’ or ‘Flash’ memory), RAM drives, and so on, as willoccur to those of skill in the art.

The example computer (452) of FIG. 4 includes one or more input/output(‘I/O’) adapters (478). I/O adapters implement user-orientedinput/output through, for example, software drivers and computerhardware for controlling output to display devices such as computerdisplay screens, as well as user input from user input devices (481)such as keyboards and mice. The example computer (452) of FIG. 4includes a video adapter (409), which is an example of an I/O adapterspecially designed for graphic output to a display device (480) such asa display screen or computer monitor. The video adapter (409) isconnected to the processors (456) through a high speed video bus (464),bus adapter (458), and the front side bus (462), which is also a highspeed bus.

The exemplary computer (452) of FIG. 4 includes a communications adapter(467) for data communications with the other computers (482) and fordata communications with the data communications network (400). Suchdata communications may be carried out serially through RS-232connections, through external buses such as a Universal Serial Bus(‘USB’), through data communications networks such as IP datacommunications networks, and in other ways as will occur to those ofskill in the art. Communications adapters implement the hardware levelof data communications through which one computer sends datacommunications to another computer, directly or through a datacommunications network. Examples of communications adapters useful fordiscovering resources in a distributed computing environment accordingto embodiments of the present invention include modems for wired dial-upcommunications, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) adapters for wired datacommunications, and 802.11 adapters for wireless data communications.

The arrangement of computers and other devices making up the exemplarysystem illustrated in FIG. 4 are for explanation, not for limitation.Data processing systems useful according to various embodiments of thepresent invention may include additional databases, servers, routers,other devices, and peer-to-peer architectures, not shown in FIG. 4, aswill occur to those of skill in the art. Networks in such dataprocessing systems may support many data communications protocols,including for example TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), IP (InternetProtocol), HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), WAP (Wireless AccessProtocol), HDTP (Handheld Device Transport Protocol), and others as willoccur to those of skill in the art. Various embodiments of the presentinvention may be implemented on a variety of hardware platforms inaddition to those illustrated in FIG. 4.

For further explanation, FIG. 5 sets forth a flow chart illustrating anexemplary method for discovering resources of a distributed computingenvironment according to embodiments of the present invention. Adistributed computing environment refers to a collection of computers,networks, and automated computing machinery configured to performdistributed processing. A non-limiting example of a distributedcomputing environment includes a cloud environment having a virtualizedcomputing platform in which a user may be provided access to computingresources without knowledge, ownership, or physical access to thecomputer resources. The hardware, software, and capabilities of thecomponents of a distributed computing environment or cloud environmentmay be offered to users as services or objects and may generally bereferred to as resources. Non-limiting examples of resources includevirtual machines, processing clusters, host operating systems,applications, processing threads, processing allocations, storageallocations, memory allocations, and any many others as will occur toreaders of skill in the art.

In the example of FIG. 5, the distributed computing environment (530)includes a plurality (597) of resources. The method of FIG. 5 includes amanagement system (500) for discovering the resources (597) of thedistributed computing environment (530).

The method of FIG. 5 includes the management system (500) transmitting(502) an application program interface (API) message (550) to thedistributed computing environment (530). An API specifies how somesoftware components should interact with each other. In addition toaccessing databases or computer hardware, such as hard disk drives orvideo cards, an API can be used to ease the work of programminggraphical user interface components. In practice, many times an APIcomes in the form of a library that includes specifications forroutines, data structures, object classes, and variables. In some othercases, notably for Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) andRepresentational State Transfer (REST) services, an API comes as just aspecification of remote calls exposed to the API consumers.

REST is an architectural style that abstracts the architectural elementswithin a distributed hypermedia system. REST ignores the details ofcomponent implementation and protocol syntax in order to focus on theroles of components, the constraints upon their interaction with othercomponents, and their interpretation of significant data elements. RESThas emerged as a predominant web API design model. The RESTarchitectural style was developed by W3C Technical Architecture Group(TAG) in parallel with HTTP 1.1, based on the existing design of HTTP1.0. The World Wide Web represents the largest implementation of asystem conforming to the REST architectural style.

REST-style architectures conventionally consist of clients and servers.Clients initiate requests to servers; servers process requests andreturn appropriate responses. Requests and responses are built aroundthe transfer of representations of resources. A resource can be any bodyof information, static or variable. A representation of a resource istypically a document that captures the current or intended state of aresource.

In REST, the client begins sending requests when it is ready to make thetransition to a new state. While one or more requests are outstanding,the client is considered to be in transition. The representation of eachapplication state contains links that may be used the next time theclient chooses to initiate a new state-transition.

Representational State Transfer is intended to evoke an image of how awell-designed Web application behaves: presented with a network of Webpages (a virtual state-machine), the user progresses through anapplication by selecting links (state transitions), resulting in thenext page (representing the next state of the application) beingtransferred to the user and rendered for their use. REST was initiallydescribed in the context of HTTP, but it is not limited to thatprotocol. RESTful architectures may be based on other Application Layerprotocols if they already provide a uniform vocabulary for applicationsbased on the transfer of meaningful representational state.

RESTful applications maximize the use of the existing, well-definedinterface and other built-in capabilities provided by the chosen networkprotocol, and minimize the addition of new application-specific featureson top of it. In addition to URIs; Internet media types; request andresponse codes; etc., HTTP has a vocabulary of operations called requestmethods, most notably:

GET POST PUT DELETE

REST uses these operations and other existing features of the HTTPprotocol. For example, layered proxy and gateway components performadditional functions on the network, such as HTTP caching and securityenforcement.

As mentioned above, an important concept in REST is the existence ofresources (sources of specific information), each of which is referencedwith a global identifier (e.g., a URI in HTTP). In order to manipulatethese resources, components of the network (user agents and originservers) communicate via a standardized interface (e.g., HTTP) andexchange representations of these resources (the actual documentsconveying the information). For example, a resource that represents acircle (as a logical object) may accept and return a representation thatspecifies a center point and radius, formatted in SVG, but may alsoaccept and return a representation that specifies any three distinctpoints along the curve (since this also uniquely identifies a circle) asa comma-separated list.

Any number of connectors (e.g., clients, servers, caches, tunnels, etc.)can mediate the request, but each does so without “seeing past” its ownrequest (referred to as “layering”, another constraint of REST and acommon principle in many other parts of information and networkingarchitecture). Thus, an application can interact with a resource byknowing two things: the identifier of the resource and the actionrequired—it does not need to know whether there are caches, proxies,gateways, firewalls, tunnels, or anything else between it and the serveractually holding the information. The application does, however, need tounderstand the format of the information (representation) returned,which is typically an HTML, Extensible Markup Language (XML), orJavaScript Object Notation (JSON) document of some kind, although it maybe an image, plain text, or any other content.

A RESTful web API (also called a RESTful web service) is a web APIimplemented using HTTP and REST principles. It is a collection ofresources, with typically four defined aspects:

-   -   the base URI for the web API, such as        http://example.com/resources/    -   the Internet media type of the data supported by the web API.        This is often JSON but can be any other valid Internet media        type provided that it is a valid hypertext standard.    -   the set of operations supported by the web API using HTTP        methods (e.g., GET, PUT, POST, or DELETE).    -   The API is hypertext driven.

According to the example method of FIG. 5, transmitting (502) anapplication program interface (API) message (550) to the distributedcomputing environment (530) may be carried out by transmitting to thedistributed computing environment, a resource identifier using aprotocol command. For example, the management system (500) may transmita URL to the distributed computing environment using a HTTP GET request.In this example, the GET request may include additional HTTP GETparameters further specifying the location of the resource.

The method of FIG. 5 also includes the management system (500) receiving(504) from the distributed computing environment (530), a response (552)to the API message (550). Receiving (504) from the distributed computingenvironment (530), a response (552) to the API message (550) may becarried out by receiving an HTTP reply, such as a file specifyinginformation about the state of the resource at the location specified inthe request. A response from the distributed computing environment mayinclude files in any number of formats including: XML, a Comma SeparateValues (CSV) and a JSON.

The method of FIG. 5 also includes the management system (500)identifying (506), a resource (590) of the distributed computingenvironment (530) based on the response (552). In a particularembodiment, the identified resource is provided by the distributedcomputing environment as an infrastructure as a service (IaaS).Identifying (506), a resource (590) of the distributed computingenvironment (530) based on the response (552) may be carried out byexamining data in the response to determine if a resource is present atthe address corresponding to the request.

In the example of FIG. 5, identifying (506), a resource (590) of thedistributed computing environment (530) based on the response (552)optionally includes determining (508) in dependence upon the response(552), a type (556) of the identified resource (590). Determining (508)in dependence upon the response (552), a type (556) of the identifiedresource (590) may be carried out by examining the data in the responseto identify a type of the resource.

For example, the management system may transmit a request such as:

-   -   GET/cloud.external-api-rest/networkstorage/970 HTTP/1.1

In response to the request, the management system may receive a responsethat includes a file having the following information:

{  “name”:”NetworkStorageName”,  “description”:”Network StorageDescription”,  “storageGB”:20  “nodeResource”:{  “resourceURL”:”/organization/5970”  } }

Continuing with this example, the management system may examine the datacontained in the response to discover that a resource is at thislocation and that the “type” of the resource is “network storage”. Afteridentifying the resource, the management system may provide anidentification of the resource and the type of the resource to anothersystem or the user. In a particular embodiment, the management systemprovides the indication of the resource and an identification of thetype of resource to a user within a graphical user interface. By usingAPI requests, the management system may discover resources of adistributed computing environment and make those resources know tousers.

For further explanation, FIG. 6 sets forth a flow chart illustratinganother example method for discovering resources of a distributedcomputing environment according to embodiments of the present invention.In the method of FIG. 6 is similar to the method of FIG. 5 in that themethod of FIG. 6 also includes transmitting (502) an application programinterface (API) message (550) to the distributed computing environment(530); receiving (504) from the distributed computing environment (530),a response (552) to the API message (550); and based on the response(552), identifying (506), a resource (590) of the distributed computingenvironment (530).

The method of FIG. 6 includes the management system (500) identifying(602) a range (650) of IP addresses corresponding to the distributedcomputing environment (530). Identifying (602) a range (650) of IPaddresses corresponding to the distributed computing environment (530)may be carried out by receiving from a user an indication of a range ofIP addresses to test. For example, a user may wish to discover whatresources and what types of resource are at a specific range of IPaddresses.

In the method of FIG. 6, transmitting (502) an application programinterface (API) message (550) to the distributed computing environment(530) includes transmitting (604) the message (550) to the range (650)of IP addresses corresponding to the distributed computing environment(530). Transmitting (604) the message (550) to the range (650) of IPaddresses corresponding to the distributed computing environment (530)may be carried out by transmitting to the distributed computingenvironment, a resource identifier using a protocol command. Forexample, the management system (500) may transmit a URL to thedistributed computing environment using a HTTP GET request.

For further explanation, FIG. 7 sets forth a flow chart illustratinganother example method for discovering resources of a distributedcomputing environment according to embodiments of the present invention.In the method of FIG. 7 is similar to the method of FIG. 5 in that themethod of FIG. 7 also includes transmitting (502) an application programinterface (API) message (550) to the distributed computing environment(530); receiving (504) from the distributed computing environment (530),a response (552) to the API message (550); and based on the response(552), identifying (506), a resource (590) of the distributed computingenvironment (530).

The method of FIG. 7 also includes the management system (500)transmitting (702) to the distributed computing environment (530), aseries (750) of different types of API messages corresponding todifferent types of resources. Transmitting (702) to the distributedcomputing environment (530), a series (750) of different types of APImessages corresponding to different types of resources may be carriedout by transmitting to the distributed computing environment, a seriesof HTTP GET requests with different parameters.

The method of FIG. 7 also includes the management system (500) receiving(704) from the distributed computing environment (530), a plurality(752) of responses to the series (750) of API messages. Receiving (704)from the distributed computing environment (530), a plurality (752) ofresponses to the series (750) of API messages may be carried out byreceiving an HTTP reply, such as a file specifying information about thestate of the resource at the location specified in the request.

The method of FIG. 7 also includes the management system (500) parsing(706) the responses (752) to determine a resource type of eachidentified resource. Parsing (706) the responses (752) to determine aresource type of each identified resource may be carried out byindicating a response type based on receipt of a particular responsecorresponding to a request associated with the response type.

For example, the management system may transmit a series of requestssuch as:

GET/cloud.external-api-rest/networkstorage/970 HTTP/1.1GET/cloud.external-api-rest/virtualmachine/970 HTTP/1.1

In response to this series of requests, the management system mayreceive a response indicating a bad request and another response thatincludes a file having the following information:

{  “name”:”NetworkStorageName”,  “description”:”Network StorageDescription”,  “storageGB”:20  “nodeResource”:{  “resourceURL”:”/organization/5970”  } }

Continuing with this example, the management system may determine that avirtual machine resource is not located at this location but a networkstorage resource is located at this location. After identifying theresource, the management system may provide an identification of theresource and the type of the resource to another system or the user. Asanother example, if the response is a ‘not authorized response’, themanagement system may also determine that a response is at the location.In a particular embodiment, the management system provides theindication of the resource and an identification of the type of resourceto a user within a graphical user interface. By using API requests, themanagement system may discover resources of a distributed computingenvironment and make those resources know to users.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention are described above with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that modificationsand changes may be made in various embodiments of the present inventionwithout departing from its true spirit. The descriptions in thisspecification are for purposes of illustration only and are not to beconstrued in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention islimited only by the language of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of discovering resources of adistributed computing environment, the method comprising: identifying,by the management system, a range of IP (Internet Protocol) addressescorresponding to the distributed computing environment; transmitting, bythe management system to each IP address of the range of IP addressescorresponding to the distributed computing environment, a series ofdifferent types of representational state transfer (REST) applicationprogram interface (API) messages corresponding to different types ofresources, wherein each of the REST API messages comprises a resourceidentifier; receiving from one or more of the IP addresses correspondingto the distributed computing environment, by the management system, oneor more responses to the series of different types of REST API messages;and based on the responses, determining, by the management system, anidentification and type of a resource of the distributed computingenvironment by examining the responses to identify a particular responsethat provides information identifying a particular resource.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the identified resource is provided by thedistributed computing environment as an infrastructure as a service(IaaS).
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified resource isprovided by the distributed computing environment as a Platform as aService (PaaS).
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified resourceis provided by the distributed computing environment as a Software as aService (SaaS).
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified resourceis provided by the distributed computing environment as one or morevirtual machines.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifiedresource is provided by the distributed computing environment as acluster of hardware devices.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein theidentified resource is provided by the distributed computing environmentas a cluster of virtual hardware devices.
 8. The method of claim 1wherein the identified resource is provided by the distributed computingenvironment as a processing allocations.
 9. The method of claim 1wherein the identified resource is provided by the distributed computingenvironment as a storage allocations.